Jehovah’s Witnesses set district convention starting July 12 in VBT

Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected to attend the 2013 annual convention at the Assembly Hall, 43777 Ecorse Road, in Van Buren Township starting Friday morning and running through Sunday.
The local district convention is one of 411 conventions being held in 105 cities throughout the United States on 13 consecutive weekends.
The convention theme is “God’s Word is Truth”, which is expected to build appreciation for the practical value of bible truth.
The public is invited to attend any session or the entire program, said Larry O’Brien, Jr., local media contact. There is no admission charged and no collection is taken.
Programs in English, July 12-14, will begin at 9:20 a.m. each day. On Friday, the afternoon session will begin at 1:45 p.m. and on Saturday it will begin at 1:35 p.m. Sunday’s afternoon session will begin at 1:25 p.m.
Special highlights include a drama at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Baptism at 11:40 a.m. Saturday, and a public discourse at 11:10 a.m. Sunday and a drama at 1:40 p.m.
The local convention is held in English and the last two weeks of the conventions will feature one in American Sign Language and one in Spanish Language.
For more information see www.jw.org and open conventions.

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Jehovah’s Witness Conventions – Cash Cow, or Cause for Concern?
As you may be aware, Jehovah’s Witnesses have scheduled their annual District Convention here in BELLEVILLE MI, from 8/2/2013 through 8/4/2013 at Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 43777 Ecorse Rd. Many businesses and venues look forward to these annual conventions, because they bring with them a much-needed source of revenue.

The trouble is, the influx of money comes with a catch. The organizers of this event, the Watch Tower Society, promotes and enforces policies that threaten basic human rights, causing considerable harm and suffering to countless current and former Witnesses.
These damaging policies relate to:

1. The shunning of former members, including family members
2. The mishandling of child molestation
3. The mishandling of cases of domestic abuse
4. The stigmatization of higher education among teenagers
5. The ban on certain forms of treatment with blood

AAWA has extended an open offer to the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society to meet with them to discuss ways in which the organization can introduce much-needed reforms that would remedy these issues. So far this offer has gone unanswered.

Millions are affected by the above practices, and yet Watchtower continually escapes scrutiny by the press because it enforces its policies under the cloak of religious freedom. AAWA respectfully asks the public and the media to look beyond the financial benefits of these conventions, and consider the human cost.

About AAWA:
Advocates for Awareness of Watchtower Abuses (AAWA) is a religiously-neutral organization; a not-for-profit corporation with 260 volunteers from over twenty countries who are committed to raising awareness objectively and respectfully, as well as to helping victims of abusive Watchtower policies.